SIT DOWN, HAVE A DRINK, RELAX.

You can’t blame the drought for corrupt water management.

No doubt by now you have all seen this photo, and others like it. That’s a Murray cod, like all its relatives it has survived droughts, damming of rivers, irrigation pumping and more. But this summer it died, along with thousands of other fish, because river flows in NSW are so depleted there’s just no oxygen left in the water.

Australians, or most of them, tend to go around with their heads up their bums most of the time, until a disaster grabs their attention for a few minutes. After a brief flurry of outrage and a bit of “they have to do something about this” comment on social media it’s all quickly forgotten. After the five seconds of outrage at least 45% of Australians will keep on voting for the same conservatives who are responsible for the disaster.

The current crisis with the rivers in the eastern states has been developing for a few years now, but until this week’s fish deaths hardly anyone noticed or cared.

I blame it all on Barnaby Joyce, David Littleproud, their water-hoarding cotton-growing mates and above all, on the NSW government.

In this video Menindee resident Dick Arnold and Rob stand in the Darling river above weir 32 each holding a hundred year old fish. These Murray cod have lived through the highs and lows of this system however could not survive this man made disaster.

The NSW “Liberals and Nationals” government decided to reconfigure the Menindee Lakes last year. Part of the process involved the decommissioning of the pipeline that fed Broken Hill from the lakes. Instead of providing water to Broken Hill and Pooncarie, and a thriving irrigation farming industry, the water would be diverted to cotton farmers upstream. Many of those huge, water-guzzling cotton farms are overseas owned.

The Menindee pipeline was to be replaced by a pipeline carrying water from the Murray River to Broken Hill. A pipeline from an already depleted river, placing more strain on a river already struggling to cope with demands on its flow.

Only a government as incompetent and as corrupt as the Berejiklian government could come up with such a stupid idea.

As usual with exposes like this there was the usual brief spate of outrage and then everyone – or almost everyone – went back to sleep until this week, when all those images of dead fish were all over the media.

The Australia Institute didn’t go back to sleep. They produced this, in June 2018, on mismanagement of the scheme . Result? Crickets from those in a position to make changes.

The Basin Files
Maladministration of the MurrayDarling Basin Plan: Volume I
“Since allegations of large-scale water theft were aired on Four Corners in 2017, a flood of media reports have shown that the $13bn Murray-Darling Basin Plan is not being well implemented: agency coverups, political and regulatory capture, agencies with cultures of non-compliance, dodgy water deals, alleged fraud and unlawful amendments.”http://www.tai.org.au/sites/default/files/P531%20The%20Basin%20files%20Vol%20I%20%20%5BWEB%5D.pdf

This file contains a huge amount of relevant links.

The Murray-Darling Basin Plan was yet another Labor initiative destroyed by the ATM government.

Residents of Walgett are living on the banks of a dry river. Water that would normally flow down the Barwon River, even during a drought, has been diverted and hoarded by upstream cotton mega-farms. They are relying for water on a rather dodgy bore that produces water too saline for drinking. The bore was taken out by a lightning strike a week ago and the residents had to go without any water at all for a day. That meant no air conditioning in almost 40 degree heat. Walgett residents use evaporative air coolers, they need water to run. No water = no air conditioning. I’ve lived out west, just under 150 km east of Walgett, , and I can tell you cooling is essential in summer out there. So is drinking water. The situation is so bad in Walgett that private citizens are appealing for funds to buy bottled water which they will drive to Walgett. The NSW government doesn’t want to know and won’t help.

You can’t blame Walgett’s water problems on the drought. You can, however, blame them on corrupt water management and on the interventions over the past five years of Barnaby Joyce, his successor, David Littleproud and the rotten-to-the-core NSW government, with willing help from the Queensland government. Littleproud, until his marriage fell apart, was married to the second cousin of one of the owners of Norman Farms, a cotton-growing mega-company and a very corrupt one. A responsible Prime Minister would never have made a man with such an obvious conflict of interest his Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, but Turnbull did exactly that. Morrison kept him in that position and gave him the added responsibility of Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Drought Preparation and Response. Talk about putting a fox in the henhouse!

Meanwhile, much further south in NSW, the coal-loving NSW government is refusing to admit underground coal mines have been stealing Sydney’s water for years. ‘No place for mining’: coal mines drain water from dams.

Gas drilling companies across NSW and Queensland are still being given unlimited access to water, especially artesian water, and their drilling is damaging the Great Artesian Basin, but our governments, state and federal, just don’t care.

What will it take to make our state and federal governments wake up? When will they realise this is a very dry continent and our water resources are precious,too precious to be frittered away on industries we simply cannot support, industries like cotton growing and gas mining.

Rain, hail, shine and locusts!📡🌧️🌨️🌦️🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗#Canberra#thunderstorms swept through the area.Not quite apocalyptic, but along with the rain and hail, locusts in the area seemed quite disturbed by these events.🤣

First off let’s start with coast of Rakata which faces Anak #Krakatau – this is one of camping spots where you could stay out overnight & watch the #volcano erupt. No surprises it’s been decimated by a huge #tsunami and landslides. Scoured area looks to be at least 25m high pic.twitter.com/tjbD7uMpJt

Good news on the osteomyelitis. I’ve had that (unwelcome side effect of cancer treatment) it’s not something I’d wish on anyone. It was dealt with over 20 years ago, but I still live with the consequences.

My local hospital started installing solar panels in June last year, I don’t know if the project has been completed yet.I’m surprised Gladys allowed it.

“Pay TV services, like Foxtel, have been smashed everywhere by over-the-top streaming services like Netflix. They were enabled by broadband which was rolled out much faster and at less cost under my technology agnostic approach to NBN.

“Labor’s approach would have taken 6-8 years longer to complete and would have cost upwards of $30 billion more – leading to even more expensive broadband. The streaming services that have disrupted the bundled Pay TV business model do not need 1 Gbps [gigabits per second] connection.

“So in summary, by ensuring NBN is completed sooner and at lower cost, the disruption of Foxtel’s business model occurred sooner than it otherwise would have done.”

Horseplop. The guy’s so intent on whitewashing his own contributions to politics that he seems to be blind to the devastation he visited on our broadband network.

Foxtel have problems that completely dwarf the ‘competition’ of the likes of Netflix – three of which are: the terrible way the content is presented (bundling stuff you don’t need along with the things you want, and then making you pay for it); shortfalls in the amount of quality content provided; and the absolute avalanche of advertising, which makes it indistinguishable from FTA television as a content provider. They cover sport very well, and it seems to be what most people have it for. No other provider comes close to them in that area at the moment, but everywhere else they’re terrible.

Broadband would have happened anyway, but Turnbull was primarily responsible for stunting its growth, making the service unreliable and slow, and blowing out the costs.

After months of deadlock, it looks like Sweden may finally have a new government proposal. Political scientist @nicholasaylott spoke to The Local about first impressions of the reported four-party deal https://t.co/RAOnDbnPns

"Far-right wave engulfs Sweden" hype was shallow, ill-informed clickbait. Yes, Sweden Democrats impacted politics, but they also repulsed two parties in the right-wing alliance so much they jumped ship, enabling (if agreement is approved) Social Democrat Löfven to stay in power. https://t.co/gg1RSBxc69

David Pope with the MDB haunting the Coalition.
Peter Broelman joins in on hammering Joyce.
Mark David has been on fire this year.
Alan Moir at the beach with Morrison.
Matt Golding’s work for the day.
Cathy Wilcox and The Wall.
A fairly accurate depiction of the MDB situation from Jon Kudelka.https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/ec8a2aec4e45320fa5d8990d1a79f502

A Saudi woman who fled to Thailand saying she feared her family would kill her has been granted asylum in Canada and is on her way to the country, Thai officials have said.

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, 18, boarded a Korean Air flight from Bangkok to Seoul on Friday night, they added. She is due to board a connecting flight to Canada from Incheon airport in Seoul.

The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, confirmed on Friday that Qunun had been granted asylum.

He told reporters that the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) had asked Canada to take in Qunun. “Canada is a country that understands how important it is to stand up for human rights, to stand up for women’s rights around the world, and I can confirm that we have accepted the UN’s request,” he said.

I’m surprised she was able to leave Saudi Arabia in the first place. The women folk there are usually subject to guardianship and control by their fathers – they require permission from him to leave the house and only if they are chaperoned. The father also has possession of the passports of all female family members and I’ve read that many fathers sleep with the passports under their pillow.

Syrian air defense systems have been activated against a “number of hostile targets,” local media report, claiming that Israeli jets targeted Damascus airport but the damage was limited as most the missiles were intercepted.

A warehouse in the vicinity of Damascus International Airport was damaged in the apparent Israeli air raid, a military source told SANA, claiming that the jets fired “several missiles” from the direction of northern Israel. Syrian air defense systems were immediately activated to confront the “hostile missiles,” and managed to intercept “most” of them, the source claimed.

Damascus and Latakia were attacked today by Israeli planes firing missiles from Lebanon’s airspace. Again, Syria hasn’t used its Russian S300 system, this time because of a general fear in Russia, and Russia is very much in control of Syria’s air defenses, of a broader conflict.

Insiders in Moscow believe a nuclear war brought about by Israel is days away. Trump will likely “lose his cookies” if Israeli planes begin dropping from the skies of Lebanon and if Russia fails to do this, they will lose everything.

Stranger still is the Iraqi secret delegation that just flew into Israel. Even the Iraqi Foreign Ministry knows nothing about it, we got the call when our people were there on the ground unloading them from the plane.

The real war will be Iraq, they are the ones with the oil and the majority Shiite population. Playing Sunni and Shiite inside Iraq against each other has long been the game of Israel and Saudi Arabia though the two are moving politically further and further apart.

With embassies of Bahrain and the UAE opening in Damascus…along with Egypt and Britain…the mood in Damascus is unsettling.

There is no water, no fuel, no electricity in Damascus.

The town is freezing, and no one is getting a real explanation.

Beyond this, the issues is Turkey and Erdogan. Erdogan thinks he is keeping Idlib Province as the hub of his imaginary Ottoman Empire but Erdogan has burned everyone. Both Russia and America hate him, he has betrayed everyone, backed out of every agreement, broken every promise and proven militarily inept as well.

1 – Click on your Twitter name at the left-hand top of your page, as you look at your screen. This will take you to your profile page where under your header you will see headings –
Tweets, followers, following, likes, lists, moments, with numbers telling you how many of each you have.

Click on “likes” and every tweet you have ever liked will be shown.

Or –
At the right-hand top of your home page click on your avatar and you will get a list of options.
Click on “profile” – it will take you to the same page.

Thanks you so much for your patience. Both suggestions were very easy. By the way, grandson C was here for a little while and I showed him, he loved it. There are often things that I would like to show Razz, now I can do it and show her when she is not outside or asleep.

The Morrison Government has been dealt a significant blow, with internal polling showing the Liberal Party is set to lose almost all of its Victorian seats at this year's election. @jekearsley#9Newspic.twitter.com/nJV5ZXaGLJ

So if this was real, Labor would get a 2PP of over 60% in a state where it's never done that, and finished in the 57s in the state election. Can't rule anything out at the moment but this is probably expectation management.

In 2014, the Abbott Government abolished the Australian National Water Commission on the premise that Australian water reform was now successfully completed. I put forward a counter-argument, which I believe is still (quite obviously) relevant today: https://t.co/mk7N3CGFo8

FauxMo is back from holidays and has returned, it seems, in a foul mood, determined to bring us all into line no matter what. He has kicked off with an attempt to be a tyrant.

His interview was given to the Daily Telegraph, in line with his government’s alleged policy of only talking to the Murdoch media.

Councils forced to hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26

Every council will be forced to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day with the Morrison Government making good on its threat to strip rogues councils of their citizenship rights.

In a move designed to further entrench January 26 as our national day, the government has revised the citizenship code, making it compulsory for all 537 councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.

Gearing up for a an election-year fight against the Greens-led campaign to change the date of Australia Day, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government would “protect our national day and ensure it is respected

“Force”? Since when have PMs of this country attempted to force us to do anything?

FauxMo is acting like a dictator. It does not bode well for his behaviour should his government win the election. What else does he plan to force us to do? Attend church every Sunday or else? Convert to Pentecostalism or be sent to prison? Work for the dole or be forced into a chain gang?

FauxMo wants us all at one another’s throats over a holiday. He doesn’t want to talk about dead fish, dying rivers and the blame being squarely on corrupt governments, state and federal. He doesn’t want to talk about his budget surplus disappearing before our eyes. He doesn’t want to talk about election campaigning. He just wants us to be distracted by a petty argument about a day. Few Australians understand what we are supposed to be celebrating on Australia Day. Just ask the average drongo in the street what it is about – most of them will have no idea or will tell you it’s the day Captain Cook landed.

A good sign of what is ahead for Australia if the vote this mob of vandals back in at the Federal election. If Labor get it, I would hope they would change this so called change they are making, and allow Councils to have their citizenship ceremony when it suit the Council and the people taking part.

He’s also banging on about what you’re supposed to wear at the ceremony. Quite clearly a case of trying to get us to talk about anything except his range of policy and environmental disasters.

I suspect he’s going to the well once too often. The range of Liberal distractions is getting very low, and they intend to make a meal of every one available. But after it all being thrashed out last year, with the result being the entire country are now uneasy (or even put off) by RW insistence on making a big deal about Jan 26, another bout of it could well cause a backlash.

Last year we also had the ‘African Gangs’ hysteria going on. I note that after last weekend’s rally the subject has fallen right off the radar, which is interesting.

Is this supposed to be a joke? Not a word from the Government about the fish kill upstream, instead some seriously surreal misdirection. You all deserve the bollocking you will get at the next election. https://t.co/U8qVe1M9Rr

Australia's veterinarian shortage has been "particularly tough" in the past 12 months, according to an employment expert who blames stress, financial pressure, long hours, along with abuse and "emotional blackmail" from pet owners for the problem. https://t.co/6ahMOviUUw

Quoting from Bill Gammage in “The Biggest Estate on Earth – How Aborigines Made Australia” (well worth a read by the way)

“…it ran slower and clearer. The Darling below Bourke was ‘beautifully transparent, the bottom was visible at great depths, showing larger fishes in shoals, floating like birds in mid-air’ most water ran shallower, on shallower beds”

The only media reporting Shorten’s big health announcement today are a few Murdoch papers and the regional press. Their ABC? Crickets. The Guardian? Nothing. Nine papers? Nope, although Channel 9 News did give it a mention.

FauxMo dashed to Jabiru this morning to beat Bill Shorten to an announcement.

Is this what the election campaign will be like? FauxMo’s minders lurking around trying to find out where Shorten will be and then rushing to get there first, with the MSM focusing on trivia and ignoring the big issues?

Consider this map. It not only shows the state electorates of non-metropolitan NSW, it shows all the seats currently held by the Nationals. It also shows the state’s natural watercourses. None of those seats is safe for the Nationals. None of those seats which they do not hold today (e.g. Orange, Wagga Wagga, Goulburn, even Ballina) is realistically within their grasp on 23 March

I know one Nats seat that will be safer than safe – mine. Port Macquarie will return the sitting Nats member Leslie Williams. I will be delighted to admit I’m wrong, if someone takes her down, but it’s about as likely to happen as I’m likely to win the next Miss Universe contest.

Labor has a good and well-known candidate here, Peter Alley, who has run as a Labor candidate several times. He ran for mayor a while ago, he lost to a closet National. He would be an excellent member of the NSW parliament, but he’s not going to get that chance. His campaign won’t get any support from Sussex Street either, they always concentrate on saving inner city seats from the Greens. (You might remember Peter, he was the Labor person who tried to bring down the Turnbull government by dragging David Gillespie into the high Court on a Section 44 issue. The court decided Dr Dolittle was not guilty, damn it.)

A “headland speech” from FauxMo! I bet youse can hardly wait for that.

Here’s my prediction – we will be in for more blather about “mateship” and “a fair go” while the ATM government continues to encourage us all to hate one another.

“Mateship” is not a unique Australian value. No matter where you live on this planet helping others, even people you don’t know, is the usual human thing to do. In FauxMo’s Australia “mateship” is actually in decline as this government continues to ramp up hate.

Want proof?

Take a look at the story about the young woman assaulted by a crazed woman on a bus yesterday. The crazy woman was pumped up on government-inspired hate speech. Maybe this woman was hyped up on drugs, or maybe she had not been taking drugs prescribed for a mental health condition. Maybe she was drunk, had been indulging in that other great Australian tradition of drinking until you lose all control. We don’t know, but it was a shameful display, both from the woman doing the attacking and from the passengers, who showed their true Aussie mateship by calmly filming the incident without showing the slightest interest in helping two women and a child who were being attacked. The incident was a charming display, showing us just how well the government’s hate agenda is working and also showing us how little “mateship” exists in the real Australia.

No-one gave these three people a “fair go” either, not until a man finally stepped in. What a shame no-one stayed with the three victims when they got off the bus. If someone had stayed then maybe the hater would not have continued her attack. Another “mateship” fail, another “fair go” missing.

I’m sick of being yammered at by politicians keen to present a fantasy image of an Australia that does not exist.

I’m also not impressed by Labor’s “A Fair Go” campaign slogan. It’s time we stopped the pretence and took a long, hard look at what this country has become.

Talking about standards… This is very sad. I remember noticing some outright abuse the moment Abbott took over. There was a case of one putting excrement in someone’s letterbox. “Fair go” and all – just old-fashioned Aussie terms. I wish it would stop. It lacks maturity. Yes, let’s look at what Australia has become.